


Agent Meeko

by dinui_parjai



Category: Star Wars: Battlefront (Video Games), Star Wars: Battlefront II: Inferno Squad - Christie Golden
Genre: And idk where Twin! Del and Elias came from but I love it so, Bi Gideon Hask, Del saves his brother, Elias and he are twins, Elias is so very Gay, F/M, Fix-It, Hask also finds love tho so that's cool, Hask definitely confuses them at first, Hask doesn't turn evil this time, Haskdemption AU, I just want them to be happy, Iden doesn't for some reason, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 23:08:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29322198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dinui_parjai/pseuds/dinui_parjai
Summary: After waking up when he should be dead, Del Meeko resolves to save Gideon Hask from himself and manages to save someone else along the way.The HaskDemption fic you guys wanted!
Relationships: Del Meeko & Gideon Hask, Del Meeko & Iden Versio, Del Meeko & Original Character(s), Gideon Hask & Del Meeko, Gideon Hask & Iden Versio, Gideon Hask & Original Character(s), Gideon Hask & Seyn Marana, Gideon Hask/Original Character(s), Iden Versio & Original Character(s), Iden Versio/Del Meeko, Seyn Marana & Del Meeko, Seyn Marana & Iden Versio, Seyn Marana & Original Character(s)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm slowly working on it now that my novel is done (The Lone Prince). I can't make promises about updates for this fic but TLP is updating every Friday. Now that the big project is done it's easier to write for fun and focus on this again. It's not prewritten so that's why updates may be random. Hope you guys enjoy!.

Del Meeko was dead.

He was sure of that. You didn’t just get shot four times at point blank range and survive. That’s not how the world worked. 

Only he just felt… asleep.

He looked down, and was surprised to see that his last outfit had changed, and there were no entry holes from the bullets Hask had fired. 

He was wearing….

_ Stormtrooper  _ armour?

_ No- _

This wasn’t happening. 

Del wasn’t a very religious man. He didn’t believe in any god, but he still believed in heaven, and that was where he should be. Not… not reincarnated like some-

“Del?”

He froze.

_ I know that voice. _

“Are you awake?”

“Yeah.” Del struggled to sit up, as he had fallen asleep against the wall of the moving transport. Other stormtroopers turned to him curiously, mainly because he wasn’t wearing his helmet. “Who’re you?”

“Did you hit your head, man?” The stormtrooper that was talking to him removed his helmet. “It’s me, Del.”

Del was face to face with the face he saw in the mirror every day. “Elias?”

“Yeah?”

_ Oh.  _

_ It really was him.  _ “It’s good to see you.”

Elias gave him a perturbed look. “Good to see you too, Del. Now snap out of it before we get in trouble.”

Del nodded, and slid his own helmet on. He was looking through the eyes of the helmet once again. It had been  _ years.  _ But now-

Wait.

It  _ had  _ been years. 

Del remembered today. He could see the date in his HUD.

Today was  _ the  _ day. 

The day Elias died. The day he lost his other half.

He leaned over, and whispered to his brother. “Stay close to me.”  _ I’ll protect you. _

“Okay,  _ baby brother.  _ But do remember that  _ I  _ am the medic. Half the time I end up stitching  _ you _ up.”

_ And now I’m going to protect you. _

It had been some miracle that they stayed together throughout training and deployment. But here they were- together. Inseparable. Even when Elias put his helmet on Del could tell who he was, as Elias could pick Del out of an army of troopers.

Being a medic in the stormtrooper corps didn’t mean much of anything once Elias put his helmet on. On the field, he wasn’t about saving troopers, in fact the Empire didn’t seem to care about them. It was after the fact that Elias would do his job, when troopers came to him with injuries or illnesses. 

To keep less sentiment, Del and Elias didn’t know anybody’s names but each other’s. It hurt, but at the end of the day kept them less distracted.

Somehow, sitting here in the transport, Del knew that he was here for a reason. Whatever kind of higher power had done it, but he was back in time, and he was supposed to save his brother. 

And that was what he would do. 

Elias died after being blown up by one of their own Imperial land mines. If Del was back on the beach, he was confident that he would be able to keep him from being in that area. 

Confident, but not positive. 

He and his brother’s tall frames stuck out among the other troopers by at least a head, which gave them better vantage points. As such, they were able to spot the enemy first. 

_ The enemy. _

Del hadn’t accounted for the enemy being Rebels. In the excitement, that bit of information had escaped him and made him forget that the people he would be firing on he actually worked with in his past life. 

_ I know what the Empire will become- _

But that didn’t matter now. Del would live with his secrets for… who knows how long.

“Stay close to me.” He told Elias, again.

“Alright.” Del could envision Elias’s eye roll.

The transport began to shake, turbulence engulfing it as they fell planetside.

And then the door opened.

The armor had already been unbearably uncomfortable, even though Del was back to not being his full height. Then once they landed on Scarif, it was hot. Del could already feel sweat soaking into his bodysuit. How he longed for the softness of the wool shirt and pants of his old attire, and the red jacket Iden had got him-

_ Iden _ . 

He was still years off from meeting her again. About a decade, if he was correct. 

_ Oh. _

_ I still have to make my way up the ranks. All the way up to Lieutenant Commander. _

_ Unless I can make the Battle of Yavin come faster. _

The thought of such a terrible event sent shivers down Del’s spine. He gripped his DC rifle tighter, trying to relearn the weapon in the split seconds before he was ordered into the fray. 

* * *

He’d forgotten the sounds of war.

Back in his other life, the sounds of war had been replaced by the sound of peace, of children’s laughter instead of the groans of dying men. Instead of dull colors, Del had grown accustomed to the bright tones of Zay’s dresses when she was younger, and the paintings she would make for him. 

He could barely keep track of the red cross on Elias’s shoulder, the only thing telling others that he was a medic.

It wasn’t so much saving troopers. It was more keeping them comfortable as they died.

And Del didn’t know how Elias did it.

He couldn’t shoot straight, and not because he couldn’t see. Stormtrooper helmets had always been too wide for his narrow face- his Inferno Squad helmet had been molded to fit his head better, and had a much better HUD.

Sands pelted him as bombs and mines exploded. True to his word, Del stuck at his brother’s side and Elias did his best not to stray.

Something at the back of Del’s neck tingled. 

_ It was about to happen.  _

Elias was about to go off by himself, to step on that land mine-

When Del saw his brother headed that way, he grabbed his arm. Elias tried to tug away, but Del was adamant. 

“Don’t go over there.” He said, firmly.

Elias was about to protest, but then a laser bolt skimmed his helmet and they ducked behind cover. 

For a few moments, Del stared at Elias, trying to assure himself that he was really there, in front of him, and alive. They were pinned down, but if they retreated directly backward through the brush the Rebels wouldn’t be able to track them.

_ Call a retreat, commander.  _ Del begged.  _ Please. Before we all die. _

But then it was the Rebels who pulled back. Maybe they were out of ammo or lower in number than they seemed. Del and Elias peeked from their cover, and then bolted back to their lines, helping all the wounded who they could reach back to safety.

Del cringed when he heard landmines detonate in the distance.


	2. Chapter 2

Elias could never know the impact of what happened. 

In  _ his  _ mind, all was normal. Back on the Star Destroyer, he donned his uniform and took to his shift in the Medbay, where Del wandered in, dressed similarly in fatigues of a different color.

With their hair cut to military precision and their clean faces, the twins looked completely identical. Though if you looked closely, you could see the slight curl of Elias’s hair or Del’s thicker eyebrows. Perhaps you may even realize that Del parted his hair on the right, Elias the left.

All Del had to do was appear and Elias came over to him. 

“When are you off?” 

“2200.” Elias nonchalantly filled a vial with insulin as Del lifted the hem of his shirt. Neither brother winced as the needle entered Del’s skin in the routine they repeated every morning and night, ever since an insulin pump proved itself cumbersome underneath armor. Of course, Del could do this himself but preferred his brother’s steady hand and always took a chance to talk to him. “An hour later than usual. We have a lot of casualties today because of the land mines.”

_ One of them could have been you _ . Del thought to himself.  _ Like it was before.  _

He lightly grasped Elias’s arm. 

“Wake me up if I fall asleep tonight. I need to talk to you.”

Elias nodded, serious, and then went back to his other patients. In the back of his mind, Del found himself wondering how many terrible operations Elias had performed in just a few short hours. Amputations, transplants. Things that should have been left to droids, but there were never enough of them, just like there were never enough bacta tanks.

Besides, meddroids were reserved for the officers, leaving clumsy humans for the foot soldiers.

On the way back to the bunks, Del grabbed a few tasteless ration cubes. He didn’t mind the steady diet- it was such a change from being young and wondering when the next meal would be, and stressing over how many carbs was in it. Eating sugarless cubes of protein meant that his blood sugar levels were relatively stagnant, as long as he exercised.

He crawled back into his bunk, one of the few soldiers in the barracks, and laid there, wondering how exactly he was going to tell Elias what was going on. Well, _Del_ knew what was going on, but he needed to have someone else in on it too to make things easier. And Elias would have valuable insight, once he realized that his little brother wasn’t lying.

Del must’ve fallen asleep at some point because then Elias was shaking him awake. 

“What did you need to tell me?”

Del scooted over and Elias joined him on the small bunk. They had to hunch over because of their height, both of them were much taller than average, and their legs hung off the bunks when they slept. 

But at least it was a place to sleep.

“You were supposed to die today.” Del said in a blunt manner.

Instead of laughing, or denying it, Elias just sighed and closed his eyes. “How?”

“Landmine.” 

“You stopped me from going that way, didn’t you?”

“Yeah.” 

“How did you know?” Elias leaned in closer. “Was it… you know…”

_ The force.  _ Of course neither Del nor Elias knew what it was, so anything inexplicable automatically became synonymous with the mysterious Jedi magic.

In Del’s past life, he eventually learned from Luke Skywalker that he was in fact, force sensitive. 

“No. It was real. I… I dreamed it.”

“You  _ dreamed  _ it? Quit telling me a half truth.”

_ But I did dream of it. Every night, after you died.  _

“I lived it.” He amended. “Because for some reason, I’m alive again.”

Del proceeded to explain everything. His past life, the force, dying and waking up again that morning. 

“And you have all your memories from it?” Elias took Del’s words in stride because he knew that they were true. Del  _ never _ lied. 

“All of them.”

“So what are you supposed to do?”

“I… I don’t know.” Del admitted.

“You do know about the Butterfly Effect, don’t you?”

“Of course, Elias. I’m an engineer! The hardest parts are just realizing what I  _ can’t _ change for the bettering of the galaxy.”

“What made you decide I was worth saving? What if I was  _ supposed  _ to die?”

“You weren’t.” Del insisted. “I wouldn't have woken up today if this wasn’t the case.”

Elias pondered for a moment. “Anything else you know for sure?”

_ Yes _ . 

Del had known it even before he’d reawakened. He’d known it in his past life. 

If Del ever got the chance-

“I’m going to save my friend, Hask. Just like I saved you.”

After their talk, Elias climbed into his bunk above Del’s and went to sleep. Del could see his legs hanging over the side adjacent to the ladder. 

Maybe  _ he  _ should be taking the top bunk, because he was a few kilos lighter than Elias was and-

The lights in the room turned on. All the troopers snapped to attention, those on top bunks jumped down as quickly as possible. Near the door, a man landed on his ankle and fell, and then stood on one leg as best he could. 

Elias muttered something. 

“Troopers!” Said their commander, scowling a bit as he looked at all of them. 

Del pursed his lips. He didn’t remember this. Or did he? Was it just happening early? Or-

“We have reports of disturbances near our shipyards at Corellia and Kuat. As you know, production from these plants are crucial to the expansion of our glorious Empire- and responsible for the Star Destroyers that many of you may be lucky enough to serve upon one day.”

Elias glanced at his brother. Now Del appeared relaxed. He seemed to know what was happening.

“Alpha squad, you will be shipping out at 0500.” 

_ Good,  _ Del thought.  _ Elias still stays with me. And we’re headed to Kuat. _

* * *

Despite the reports of Rebels, Kuat was a relatively easy job. Del and Elias had a pretty uneventful watch, and had training once in awhile but also enjoyed plenty of free time.

Months had gone by, but it was still years before Yavin and the formation of Inferno Squad. Elias and Del celebrated their twenty-fifth birthday with a small cake Elias had bought.

Well, Elias had eaten the cake while Del mostly watched. More than a bite of something that sugary would have Del’s blood sugar going crazy, and without a constant supply of insulin it just… wasn’t a good idea. 

Also in their free time, Del and Elias spent time away from the barracks. Not in clubs or other frivolous places like some of their compatriots, but often instead of a room at a club they would get a room at a hotel, just for some time to  _ talk  _ and process what was going to happen and what was currently going on. If there was more to tell Elias, Del did. 

In his past life, something Del had missed immediately after Elias’s death was just the closeness of his brother being beside him. They had shared a womb, then a room all of their lives. There were no secrets between them. Other twins hated each other’s guts but not Del and Elias. They stuck together. 

But that was just emotional closeness and vulnerability. 

When Del was younger, he had  _ always  _ been the weaker twin, even before they were born. Elias’s bloodstream had been corrupting Del’s circulatory system and left him dying until they were separated via emergency surgery. When they were born a few months later, Del had been half of Elias’s size, and spent nearly half a year in the medcenter. 

Their parents had been wary of putting both their twin boys in one crib, but that was all they could afford to do. Del would later learn that his parents had spent almost all their money strictly on their boys, specifically him and his medical issues, and he and Elias repayed them both materialistically and monetarily as soon as they got old enough.

Baby Elias missed his brother, and cuddled him close as soon as they were together in the same crib. It was a habit that wasn’t broken until they were ten years old and told to sleep in separate beds because cuddling just, ‘wasn’t appropriate’ anymore. 

Somehow, Del always found his way across the room and back to his brother.

When had Del caught up with Elias? Five years, six years, maybe? When they were finally indistinguishable in height and appearance. Their parents always could tell them apart, but their other brother and friends and teachers made little to no effort. Even if Del was taking Elias’s place in science and mathematics classes while Elias covered Del’s shifts in physical education, in the end they both learned everything they needed. Enough to graduate with honors.

If Del counted the years of his past life, it has been… almost fifty years since the last time Elias had held him. And then ten years until Del had been close to  _ anyone at all,  _ suddenly becoming the big spoon in his and Iden’s relationship.

Even as grown men, Elias didn’t question when Del curled up beside him. “What are you studying?”

“Anatomy.” 

“ _ Again _ ?”

“Yeah.” Elias said nonchalantly. 

“What kind?”

“I’m double checking my work. Earlier today someone came in with a sprained wrist. I told them it was actually a minor scaphoid fracture, but now I’m wondering if it was actually the trapezium or the trapezoid that-“

Del feigned a loud snore. 

“Okay, fine. I know  _ you  _ never had any interest in this stuff, even if you’re the one with all the medical problems.”

“Hey, at least I had you to take the physical for me.”

“Yeah, you’re busted anytime we’re told to run at the same time.” 

“I’ll manage. You forget,  _ I  _ am the one who will be called into a team of Imperial Supercommandos. Not you.”

“And if what you told me is correct, they always have you staying on the ship, anyway.”

“Touche.” 

A slight pause, then Del laughed. “We got in so much trouble for that.”

“For what?”

“You taking the physical for me. Mom yelled at us for hours.”

“Well, hey. Perks of being identical, right?”

“Yeah, but most identical twins are actually not completely so. What if we’re special?”

“Well, I have a brother who can time travel. That’s pretty special to me.” Elias put in.

“It’s not really ‘time travel’-“ Del turned so his chin was on Elias’s shoulder. “It’s complicated.”

“Yeah, I know.” 

One thing that Del hadn’t told Elias about his past is who killed him. If Del told Elias that Hask was the one who ended his life, Elias might very well end Hask’s life before Del has the opportunity to save him.

Though how Elias would do it, Del wasn’t sure.


	3. Chapter 3

Del wasn’t stressed about what came next. He knew eventually that he would catch the eye of Admiral Dayun after heroically repairing his engine after it was hit.

He didn’t expect to meet the Admiral early, however.

He and Elias were catching a meal at a local restaurant frequented by Imperials. Del caught a glance of a man across the room that was  _ definitely  _ just a younger version of Admiral Dayun.

He was glaring frustratedly at a broken datapad. Del waited for a few moments to see if anyone else was going to help him, before he excused himself from Elias and walked up to the Admiral.

“Sir!” He saluted, but not too loudly. “Sergeant Del Meeko, forty- forth shoretrooper corps. Engineer.”

“I see you picked up on my struggles, soldier.” Dayun said lightly, and gestured for Del to sit. “Thank you for your offer.”

Del had the back of the machine open in seconds. Likely it was a trick of the wiring- maybe something had spilled inside. 

In two minutes, Del flicked the power button back on and handed the data pad back to the admiral. He looked at it, amazed. 

“Thank you.” 

“Yes, sir.” Del saluted, and then walked back to his and Elias’s table. 

“Did that happen before?” Elias whispered.

“No. I just wanted to get our opportunity.”

“ _ Our _ opportunity?”

“I’m not letting you out of my sight this time.” Del insisted, “not now, not ever.”

Elias gave him a small smile. 

* * *

A year later, Del and Elias’s real chance came. They were assigned to Admiral Dayun’s transport, an event Del remembered from before. There would be an attack in the middle of it, and Del would be called on to perform emergency repairs and landing.

Elias, in his armor, demanded to know what was going on. So Del told him all he remembered.

Was it rebels or pirates? He couldn’t recall the nature of their adversaries.

He did remember the ship going into crisis though. Mid flight, one of the engines failed. As Elias gave him a panicked look, Del sprung into action and rushed to the cockpit.

The pilots were incapacitated, and the consoles sparking with malfunction. As Elias ran to them, Del ducked under the console and pulled off the control panel. The system was in overdrive because it was trying to self correct. If Del could just rearrange these wires…

There was a satisfying hum as the console came back online. With a nod, another trooper took the controls while Del rushed towards the engine. If he could just get power back to it, they would have a shot at being able to land the vessel.

Crash land, anyway.

Del’s hands burned and bled slightly by the time he was finished, and rushing back for the cockpit. As the trooper with the most piloting experience, Del took the other pilots chair and then did his best.

Stablize,  _ Stabilize! _

This wasn’t good.

He pulled back on the controls as hard as he could, just as the ship entered the atmosphere, beginning a deadly plummet.

Admiral Dayun finally made his way down to the cockpit. “Pilot!” He demanded,”what is going on?”

“Sir, the engines have failed.” Elias covered for Del. “He’s doing his best with what he has.”

Dayun glanced towards the console, which appeared fine even though a few moments ago it had been sizzling with electricity.

“He fixed the engines?”

“Yes, sir.”

Admiral Dayun gave the back of Del’s head an impressed nod, and then gripped the back of his chair for dear life.

_ Well,  _ Del thought, right before the ground came up to meet them.

_ At least we’ve still landed on the right planet. _

* * *

_ We finally did it,  _ Del thought, putting his new Starfighter corps uniform. Elias still slept before reporting for duty in the medbay. 

_ Just eight years to go. _

He would be a pilot, then an engineer where he would rank up immediately to Lieutenant.

A few years after that.  _ Lieutenant Commander.  _

Impressed with his skill under attack on the transport, Dayun had granted Del a position on his flagship, the  _ Implacable,  _ along with a favor for Del to cash in.

There was a brief moment where Del and Elias feared they would be separated, but all Del had to do was put in a word with Admiral Dayun, use up his favor, and Elias was reassigned to  _ the Implacable  _ as a medic. 

Together. Again.

Elias couldn’t believe how much longer they had to go until Del became a part of Inferno Squad. Hell, Elias still couldn’t even believe that Del was going to  _ become  _ a member of Inferno Squad.

His baby brother.

Del wasn’t forthcoming with many details of his life within the squad. But, Elias was able to piece together that the squad eventually led to Del’s doom.

He wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

“Del?” He asked one night, as they hung off of their bunks. 

“Hmm?”

“How did you die?”

“I was shot.” Del said simply, flipping through a datapad.

“In a battle?”

“In an execution.”

“Execution?” Elias leaned over and stared up at his brother’s hidden figure. “You were  _ executed?  _ Whatever for?”

“I-” Del cringed as he remembered the day. 

“I don’t remember.” He lied. “Desertion? Maybe.”

“Desertion!” Now Elias was on his feet, looking at Dale’s head. He hissed out his words. “You  _ deserted?!” _

“At one point, yes. I think I did.” Del was playing dumb in the hopes that Elias would give up asking about the past. “I don’t remember the details.”

_ Flashing lights. _

_ Sirens. _

_ Iden. _

_ The exploding AT-AT. _

_ Running. _

Iden.

Del didn’t realize that he’d mouthed her name out loud. Luckily, Elias couldn’t tell.

“What in the world caused you to defect?”

“I don’t remember.” 

“Del-“

“I don’t want to talk about it!” He snapped, and crossed his arms and turned away onto his side, facing away from Elias.

Still puzzled, Elias retreated back to his bunk, laid down, and went to sleep.

* * *

  
The years went by.

Del got used to waking up early every morning, excessively so, even. Sharing a room with his brother meant that Elias’s slow trudge to the ‘fresher woke Del, and then they both stood over the sink, Elias combing his hair, and Del shaving.

Technically, he was an officer and didn’t have to share his room with anyone. However, Del was an officer, and as such able to obtain special permission for a double-occupancy room. 

He wasn’t even sure if his subordinates knew he shared with Elias. Nylan and the other engineers knew Del had a brother aboard the  _ Implacable,  _ but didn’t pry.

It was… almost domestic.

It was  _ nice. _

Del stepped out of the way as Elias elbowed him to get at the sink in order to brush his teeth.

“Aren’t these rooms technically made with married spouses in mind?” Del wondered for the millionth time.

Elias shrugged. “Why?” he asked, with a mouth full of toothpaste.

“Because I still think there should be two sinks.”

And, like always, Elias laughed, sending toothpaste everywhere. Del retaliated by flicking some of his shaving cream at him.

“At least the shower’s big enough for two.” Elias said after he’d finished.

They both looked at each other. Del snorted and then shoved Elias’s shoulder. 

“Get out of here.”

“Yeah, see you later.” Still laughing, Elias walked out of the ‘fresher while Del finished up, and then he peeked back in.

“Promise me you’ll eat some breakfast!”

“I’ll  _ try. _ ” Del emphasized, then went about fixing his own hair.

To keep some kind of surprise in his life, Del didn’t look at the date that often as not to spoil it for himself. However, that didn’t mean he wasn’t waking up with a feeling on certain days because of what was supposed to happen.

Like today.

Today was the day he was going to get the summons back to Coruscant.

And he had no idea how to ensure that Elias stayed with him, now.


	4. Chapter 4

Ever since Agent Meeko’s silly joke in the elevator, Iden didn’t know what to make of him.

He was smart. And vaguely handsome. 

He was hiding something.

But he was also…. humble. He didn’t like their lavish quarters. He wasn’t vying command of the squad at all. He was resigned to whatever happened.

And he also had caf ready, which was always a bonus.

Almost immediately after they had gotten to their new shared apartments, Del had gone into his room and found the champagne, but before that she had overheard him on a call with someone. A family member? A lover?

And then he came back into the main room and brought attention to the beverage.

Iden couldn’t tell why, but she was fairly sure that Del was… different, even if she had never met him before.

What a confusing ultimatum.

Around 1830, Iden wandered into the kitchen for a meal and found Del already sitting at the counter, eating something that looked like curry.

Iden felt her heart pang a bit. She wanted some of her mother’s homemade curry now.

When she pulled out a chair, Meeko jumped. “Lieutenant!”

“Agent.” She smiled a bit. “What are you eating, there?”

“Oh,um…” was it her imagination or did Meeko seem flustered. “Since the droid claimed it could serve us anything, I asked for some curry like my mom used to make.”

_ Oh. _

“My mother makes curry sometimes, too.” She murmured, without thinking. “I miss her.”

“I miss my brother.” Del said, almost in response. “I’m a little anxious about being away from him. It’ll be the first time in almost four decades.”

Iden wanted to cringe. Dependency was not a good Imperial quality. But… this was  _ Meeko.  _ It was almost kind of… cute.

“You two are close?”

“We’re twins.” Del clarified. “We’re hardly ever apart. Well, there was a few moments back when I was Head Engineer but Admiral Dayun was kind enough to transfer Elias as well.”

“What does he do?”

“He is a Medic. Kept me alive all this time. Which- leads me to another point. Um… I don’t know if my file says anything, but, I am a diabetic. You may need to know that in case something ever happens.”

“Oh.” Iden couldn’t remember what that meant off the top of her head. “Is it bad?”

“Not really, as long as I have insulin with me. And my emergency glucose tablets. They’re almost as bad as the ration cubes.”

They both laughed.

“Thank you for telling me, Del. Though, I’m afraid that does restrict the amount of work I’d like to see you at.”

“That’s perfectly fine, Lieutenant. I’m much more comfortable in a cockpit or a bridge than on the front lines. I’ll leave that to you younger folk.”

Again, that strange feeling. Why was Meeko so… causal with her? Even Gideon wasn’t like this.

But Del meant no harm.

She shrugged it off.

* * *

Del stayed in the ship for their first few missions. Sometimes he used that time to call Elias.

“I know, I’m still figuring something out.” He complained. “I at least dropped a hint to my new officer that we need you around, but I don’t know what Iden will do.”

Elias didn’t immediately respond. 

“There’s not exactly a lot of room. But, the apartments are technically private. I could invite you over at some point when you’re free.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever be free enough for more than a meal,” Elias said mournfully.

“I’ll figure something out. Sooner or later Iden will realize that we need a medic close by.”

“Del.”Elias chuckled.

“What?”

“You just called your commanding officer by her first name.”

“Oh… Well…”

“What’s gotten into you?”

Del slumped his shoulders tiredly. “I don’t know.” 

“Check your levels.” Elias said, and it was more of a demand. “You’re getting brain fog.”

Del sighed and found his kit, opening it up so he could test his blood sugar levels. “You’re right. I’m low.”

“So eat something and go lay down.”

“I can’t. Hask and Iden- I mean,  _ Lieutenant Versio _ , are out. I’m supposed to wait on the ship with Seyn.”

“I’m sure Seyn wouldn’t mind taking your post for awhile.” Indeed, Seyn was looking over at him, curiously, but Del knew she was also keeping a practiced eye and ear on the rest of their team.

“I’m taking a tablet now. But I should go. Bye, Elias.”

Seyn kind of bounced over to him, in a way that made Del’s heart long for Zay. “Who was that?”

“My brother.” With his body blocking a view of his hands, Del quickly popped a glucose tablet from his belt and into his mouth, cringing at the artificial taste. 

“And what was that.”

“Glucose tablet.” Seyn was smart. Del was almost positive she would figure it out. 

“Oh.” She said. And that was all. Then he heard the droid chirp over his commlink, adn cursed.

This was where the mission to Tellik Four got  _ interesting. _

* * *

Iden and Hask came back screaming at each other, but they had always fought like siblings so that was nothing new.

Then Seyn was scolded, and Del could tell she didn’t like it.

Then  _ Del  _ was scolded, and he felt like he had been punched in the gut. Sure- he and Iden had their fair share of arguments in his past life. But…

Del never liked being scolded. And if Iden knew that his  _ pet project  _ would largely in part be keeping him alive for the Dreamers mission, maybe she wouldn’t hate it as much.

At least he had the satisfaction of knowing that eventually she would practically steal Dio from him

The rest of Inferno Squad stared as Iden stormed away to the training room. Seyn murmured something and went to the barracks too.

Hask shrugged her way. “Should we go with her?”

“Best not to.” Del offered.  _ Not now. _ “I need to run to the ‘fresher. If you wait for me we could grab a bite.”

“Of what?” Hask groveled. “Ration cubes?” 

“Just wait for me.”

“Fine.”

Del ran off to the fresher and took care of his business. The glucose tablet had done its job- now he was eternally thirsty and somehow subsequently needing to relieve himself.

Later in the mess, Hask watched him curiously as he downed his sixth glass of water. 

“You know, the alcohol’s actually over there.” 

“I don’t drink.” Del said, and finally set down his empty glass and took a bite of meat. 

The droid -Dio- Del remembered, beeped, one of its scanners running over Del’s food and reporting back with a stream of binary.

“What was that for?” Hask wondered. “Is he checking for poison?”

“Almost.” Del smiled as he bit a piece of mystery meat. “He’s scanning for carbs.”

“Carbs?

“Yeah. So I know how much insulin I need.”

“Oh.” Hask got a glimpse of Del’s bare midriff as he administered said insulin, a little over exaggerated to make up for the extra glucose earlier.

“Is that how you stay so thin?” 

“Eh… partially? I mostly eat protein since it’s lean and doesn’t have any carbs in it.”

“What the hell’s in a ration cube, then?”

“Mine are mostly protein.” Del admitted. “But also a few carbs and some good fibre.”

“Makes sense I guess.” Hask dug his spoon into something and took a bite.

Del was amazed at how easily he was able to sit beside Hask and casually dine and talk with him. It just made him remember how much he had been hurt when Hask turned.

“What do you think about this whole…  _ brother _ thing?” Hask continued, taking a bite of his own food. “I think it will be fun. I’ve never had a brother.”

“One thing Admiral Versio didn’t account for in his instructions is how different brothers can be.” Del said. “Having us live together really won’t change anything.”

Hask seemed to misinterpret Del’s tone. “Well, hey. I don’t mean anything by it.”

“What?” Del blinked. “No, I’m sorry. I’m just thinking about my brothers. I miss them, now.”

“Oh, yeah? Tell me about them. Are you the oldest? Or the baby of the family?”

“I’m the baby.” Del sighed. “By a minute.” 

“Now that there just isn’t fair. What if you were cheated out of an inheritance or something?”

“What? Like if I was a prince?” Del laughed. “No thanks. You’re the one who looks like he grew up with a glass of fine wine in his hand.”

Hask chortled. “Oh?”

Del laughed at himself for that. Iden had told him something similar about Hask, long after he had fallen to the Empire. 

“Look, my point is, by living together, all that’s going to happen is we adapt to each other’s schedules. Our mannerisms? Maybe. Maybe not. We’ll do our best to craft similar identities.”

“Ok, so, where should we start?”

“I want to be older.” Del crossed his arms.

“That’s fine. You’re already practically a grandfather anyway. By Imperial standards, anyway.”

Del scoffed, feigning hurt, and knocked shoulders with Hask.

* * *

Pretending to be Hask’s brother was harder the second time. 

Del couldn’t shake the feeling that somehow,  _ again,  _ Hask was going to betray him. To  _ kill  _ him.

_ No _ .

_I’m_ _not going to let it happen this time._

Del leaned forward and blinked sleep from his eyes, although the dark atmosphere didn’t make it seem any different than sleep.

“Morning, sleeping beauty.” Hask grunted from across their cramped sleeping compartment.

“Did anything happen?” Del asked. 

Both the droid and Hask made negative noises. “I felt us keep moving. But that’s it.”

“Oh. Great.” Del sighed, popping his morning ration cube into his mouth. The advantage to the cubes being mostly protein was that he didn’t have to take as much insulin besides his morning dose.

He could feel Hask’s eyes on him as he pricked his finger unsuccessfully, trying to squeeze a drop out and failing. Del huffed, and poked himself again.

“Does it hurt?” 

“Only a little.” Del felt like he’d been explaining it a lot lately. “And I’ve gotten used to it. Besides, it helps keep me alive so I really can’t complain that much.”

“Del?”

“Yes?”

“What do I do to help? If something goes wrong?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, uh. With that.” Hask pointed. “If you get too high or low, that’s a problem, right?”

“Well. Yes. I’ve never gotten so bad that I’ve like, fainted, at least not in awhile. But if it does, chances are I’m low. If that’s the case-“ Del plucked out the small container of glucose tablets from his belt. “One of these should do the trick. If I’m not better in ten minutes, another. After that-“

“Another?”

“No. You pray.” 

Hask looked a bit alarmed as Del shrugged. “And, if I’m high, give me a shot of this. Blue tube.” He showed it to Hask. 

“Got it.”

“Yeah?  _ Blue  _ tube. That’s important. It’s the fast acting stuff. The green tube is what I measure out for meals.”

“So why didn’t you take any just now?”

“Because these ration cubes don’t have carbs in them, remember?”

“Oh, right.”

Hask didn’t say anything next, but Del could still tell he had questions. Probably wanting to know how Del still managed to make it in Imperial ranks, to pass the physical and all that.

“I bet you’re wondering how I survived in the navy so long.”

“Yeah, a bit?”

“Well, we have the time, so I may as well tell you. My twin brother-“ Del’s lips curled into a smile. “He took the physical exams for me.” 

“What!” Hask exclaimed.

“I know, right.” Del laughed. “We thought we were going to get in so much trouble, but the only one who ever found out was our mom. And besides- it’s not like I’m in any important position. I’m just an engineer.”

“I think you’re more than you give yourself credit for.” Hask corrected. 

_ Oh.  _

“Well, thanks, Hask. That means a lot.”

“No problem, Del. But remember, you’re supposed to call me “Gid” from now on.”

“Okay,  _ Gid.”  _ Del grinned a bit. The next few months we’re going to be…. interesting. Especially with….

Del had been doing his best not to spend too much time around Seyn, knowing that to save her would be too much. There was just no way he could do it without revealing himself. Besides- if Seyn lived, it may change things too much. Iden may not defect to the rebellion. She never outright said it in their past life, but Seyn’s death had a lot to do with her decision, because it was what started her doubt in the Empire.

Del felt like such a traitor.

“Hey, Del.” Hask waved his hand in front of his face. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I just caught myself worrying about the rest of our squad. Seyn, especially. I don’t know where she got her resigned attitude from but I really don’t like that. And Iden. All that pressure… it isn’t good for someone.”

Hask grumbled. “You speak as if you know her.”

Del’s eyes widened a bit.  _ Oops.  _ But then he just looked down. 

“No.” He lied, even though of course he knew her. “I just see myself and my brother in her, I guess.”

“You’re an odd man, Del. But I like you. I meant what I said about us always being friends.”

Their container trembled as Del tried to purge all thought of Hask doing the _opposite_ of being friends from his mind. Pretty soon, cannon fire would interrupt their discussion. 

_ I’m ready.  _ Del thought.

He wasn’t.


	5. Chapter 5

In a way Del was thankful for the undercover mission. No one batted an eye if he accidentally slipped and called Iden by her real name. It was keeping the disguise on Hask that was actually the problem.

_Gideon._

_Gideon, Gideon._

_Gid._

So he decided to do everyone a favor and keep his mouth shut as he worked. Remembering how the cheerful Dreamers had met their end last time made it hard to want to talk to them, anyway. He wasn’t sure if Hask was going to lose control again. And, of course, he was prematurely worried about Iden, even though Seyn hadn’t passed away yet.

But she was going to. 

And Del decided not to stop it. He wouldn’t make any effort too. At least he remembered about the purple sculptures and how they would take care of her after she died.

His and Hask’s sleeping pallets were right next to each other, close enough so that Hask’s “I’ve had a chest cold for all of my life” snoring kept him even more awake than usual. 

He used the time to plan. And contemplate.

How could he stop Hask from killing the rest of the Dreamers? _Could_ he stop Hask from doing that?

Del forgot how much he enjoyed working alongside someone until he was back at Piikow’s side. In fact the last person to show interest in his work was…

Well.

His oldest and youngest sons had feigned interest. The middle one, Ceyn, would watch his father work for hours on end, but never exactly _helped._ Just watched. And by the time Zay came along, Del wasn’t working as much as he once was. He was intent on finding where his friend Luke had run off to.

Del wanted to know what had happened to his oldest boy, Chaol. He was supposed to be training with Luke, but then, all of the sudden Del lost contact with both of them, and then Kylo Ren-

A sudden pain ripped through Del’s head. It felt like he could feel the torture all over again.

He stumbled to his knees, startling Piikow.

“Del!” He cried. “What is it?”

“I… I think I need to get back to camp. I don’t feel so good all of the sudden.”

“Oh, okay. I would help you up, but-”

“It’s alright.” With difficulty, Del stood himself back up on his legs, still holding his head. His hand snaked down until he could cup his chin in thought. “I’ll go and find my brother.” 

As Del and Piikow walked back to the speeder, Del could feel his boots crunching tiny shards of purple and gemstone under his feet. He almost felt a little guilty- he knew the secret of the strange purple humanoids, but enjoyed taking them apart. Was it cruel? They weren’t sentient after all. Was this what Elias felt like during his years of becoming a medic? Of opening up bodies to discover the physiology of what was inside?

At the thought of blood, Del felt his face warm and his head began to hurt again. He was getting a bit dizzy. By the time they arrived back at camp, Del was stumbling out of the speeder and lost his footing.

At two meters tall, Del made quite an impact when he fell. The few Dreamers who were sitting around, plus Iden and Hask, all jumped up and hurried over.

“What’s wrong with him?” Iden demanded, almost too concerned for someone she hardly conversed with.

“I don’t know! It seems like he may have gotten dizzy and a headache, but he was fine! Staring off into space a lot, but fine!”

Hask surprised even himself by reacting so quickly. He knelt down at Del’s side and was somehow the only one who thought to check the semi-conscious man's blood sugar. Remembering his instructions for high blood sugar, Hask found the blue syringe that Del had showed him months ago.

“If you don’t like needles, look away.”

Iden set her jaw and turned away. Hask didn’t know exactly where to inject the insulin, but he was pretty sure he’d seen Del do it mostly on his right side, just a bit above his navel.

He hoped he was right, because Del wasn’t answering questions even if he was still conscious. Hask didn’t trust him to do it himself.

_Wow, look at me playing the concerned brother so well. Del, you’d better make it out of this._

For a moment, as Del blinked and saw everyone standing over him, Del thought he saw his brother standing next to Hask. Then the man’s hair straightened out, and his eyes changed from green to blue. 

That wasn’t Elias.

That was the Mentor, also known as Lux Bonteri. Iden talked about him in passing sometimes. A few times, they’d even found themselves on Onderon, paying him an old visit.

“Let’s get him up.” Hask said, after Del could at least feel his limbs again. “Brother mine, I’m putting you in time-out.”

Del didn’t say anything as Hask and the next tallest man on scene, which also happened to be Lux again, made sure he got to the sleeping caverns okay. He vaguely heard them argue over who should watch him. 

“No, you and Staven are supposed to go flying as soon as he gets back.”

“I think Staven would understand if I wanted to make sure my brother was okay!” Hask snapped back defensively. “And how do you know about that?”

“You forget who’s running this operation, do you?”

“Whatever. Shouldn’t you be off with Iden, anyway?”

“We’re taking a break ever since that mission went so well.”

_A lie,_ Del thought, numbly.

“Whatever. But if anything happens while you’re watching him, I’ll wring your neck.” Heavy footsteps receded from the cavern, and then Hask was gone.

“Your brother’s a real charmer.” Said Lux, crossing his arms and looking down at Del’s “sleeping” form. “But I’m glad he’s gone. Once you’re awake, you can tell me how you know my real name.”

* * *

Del blinked fully awake about half an hour later, sitting up with a growling stomach.

_Hask._

_He saved me._

But Del didn’t have a lot of time to think about it, because Lux was looking at him expectantly, and a bit angrily as he held out a fruit.

“I can’t eat that.” Del said. “I’ll spike again.”

“Oh, right. Then uh, what _can_ you eat?”

“Protein, preferably.” Del risked standing up but felt as if he were mostly back to normal. At least now he knew what he was _not_ supposed to think about. His blood sugar rising had been a coincidence. The thing that had really hurt him was thinking about-

_No._

_Stop._

“I still need to know how you know my name.” Lux gripped his arm in the guise that he was helping Del stand. “Nobody here knows it. Not even Staven. I’m lucky everyone thought you were just murmuring gibberish.”

“Look. I’m not that much younger than you, okay? I remember when I was a boy and your family name was thrown around. I remember Onderon’s battle for Independence. I’m sorry. I meant no harm.”

“And your brother. Does he know who I am?”

Del shook his head. “No. He’s too young to remember.”

“Good. I don’t like to think of myself as a violent man, Del, but I don’t think I need to tell you what happens if you expose me.”

Despite himself, Del actually gulped.

He had lied again. He hated lying. And now someone was suspicious of him! 

_Why can’t I just keep my stupid mouth shut!_

Del found himself thinking back to the day where he and Elias were watching the holonet, ten years old and in shock that the Jedi had been branded as traitors, as Palpatine came to power.

And all that had been a lie. The Jedi weren’t bad, and Palpatine was a tyrant. Thank _goodness_ Luke had seen to his demise in the future!

Still, Del would always unintentionally have his reservations. About the Rebels, about the Resistance....

About everyone.


	6. Chapter 6

Del wondered if there was any way for him to get out of going on the school trip. That way he knew he wouldn’t make any stupid decisions, jepordizing either his Imperial mission or the Dreamers.

He didn’t want to realize how close Seyn was to dying.

So, he stayed quiet. Nobody cared since he hardly talked anyway. Stayed silent as his squadmates went off and did their own missions with the Dreamers. Stayed silent as Seyn died. He just worked on the statues with Piikow, which he realized now that he technically wasn’t supposed to know about them yet.

Oh well.

At least he knew that their pessimistic idea that Seyn’s body had been gruesomely eaten by wild beasts was disproved with his acquired knowledge of the statues being a kind of walking guardian. 

He just sat, knowing that Iden appreciated silence more than talk when she was upset. 

He also knew that she wasn’t going to say anything back- she was going to sit in silence until all of her emotions boiled over in an often violent panic attack. 

One that he would not be there for. Not yet.

_ Iden…. _

“I’m worried about you.” She said, out of nowhere as they sat in the tree they liked to climb.

“Me?”

“You. You scared me the other day, coming back and crashing like that.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m… starting to reconsider your place on this team. I was willing to give you a chance before, but, if you aren’t suited for field work-“

Del’s heart began beating quickly.  _ No, this wasn’t supposed to happen.  _

But he just said, “I understand, commander.”

“Gideon suggested that I find a way to let your brother take over Seyn’s spot.”

“What? Already?!”

“I know. I wasn’t happy about the timing, but there’s a point. We have medics already, but having one so close and on hand could always be better. Especially for someone like you. Your brother can fight, right?”

“Yes. We were both stormtroopers and shoretroopers for a time.”

“I will put in a request for his transfer as soon as this mission is over. And after that, Del, I hope not to have to reconsider your place again.”

“Yes, commander. And thank you.”

“...For what? I haven’t been complimenting you at all.”

“You may be able to help my brother and I be together again. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Del.”

* * *

Every sense of professionalism went out the door when Del saw Elias again, a few days after returning from the disastrous Dreamers mission. The only upside was that this time, Del had been able to plan carefully and stop Gideon’s rampage. Now, the Dreamers simply had no leader, and no way off of their planet.

For now.

When a very confused Elias came walking in the door to Inferno Squad’s apartment, Del dropped whatever he had in his hands and ran for him, hugging him tightly. 

“I missed you too.” Elias laughed, gently. 

“We need to talk later.” Del said, in their native language. Then he pulled Elias into the main room, where Hask and Iden were.

“Hask, Commander, this is my brother, Elias.”

“....You’re joking.” Hask said after a moment, his eyes surprisingly wide.

“About what?”

“You two look the same.” Hask continued, shocked. Iden, who had prepared herself, offered a bemused smile.

“No, his hair is different. See?” Del swiped Elias’s hat off of his head and gestured to his brother’s curls.

“It’s still creepy. You didn’t think to  _ warn  _ us?”

“Warn you about what?”

Hask just grumbled to himself and crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair. When Iden stood to greet Elias, he subconsciously straightened into attention, but not a full salute.

“At ease.” Iden smiled a bit. “Welcome to the team, Elias.”

Elias’s eyes widened a bit. “That’s it? I’m in?”

“Well, yes. Did you expect it to be harder? We need an opening, and your brother here is very needy.”

“He talks about you so much if we didn’t know you were his  _ brother  _ we would probably conclude he was talking about a boyfriend.”

“Shut up, Hask.” Del rolled his eyes. “You’re just jealous.”

More grumbling.

“Del told me about…. Seyn, was it? My deepest condolences.” Elias said, voice dropping in sadness.

“Can he room with me?” Del asked. 

“Um, sure.” Iden shrugged. “But you two will have to work out the furniture. And if Del gets too annoying, Elias, we do have a whole other room available, now.”

Again, Del rolled his eyes. “Will you two stop? Is this what only children are like!”

“Blessed only children.” Iden corrected. “I don’t have to share a room with someone who snores.”

“Well, unless we’re on the Corvus.” Del pointed out. “But Hask sounds like he’s had a chest cold for all of his life, so-“

“Well, now we have a medic that might be able to help out a bit!” 

Not sensing the joke, Elias responded. “I don’t know a lot about correcting sleeping habits. But I can do my best.”

An awkward silence. Then, finally, Del pulled Elias into his- their room and shut the door, grateful for the soundproof walls.

Elias was still looking over his shoulder as the door hissed shut. “Who was that?”

“Who?”

“The blonde. Was that Hask?” 

“Yeah, why?” 

Elias didn’t answer immediately, and Del immediately understood. “Elias,  _ no.  _ You are  _ not  _ crushing on him!”

“I’m crushing on him. He’s handsome! Can you blame me? You  _ know  _ I’m into blondes!”

Del just shook his head, sighing. Then he sat down heavily on the bed. “He saved my life.”

“What?”

“On our last mission, I had a high blood sugar spell. Hask remembered what I told him about Insulin even faster than the droid did.”

“He even gave you the right kind?”

“Yeah.”

Elias sighed. “I love him even more now.”

“Shut up about him. I said I needed to talk to you. About Seyn.”

Sensing his brother’s mood, Elias sat down next to him on the edge of the bed as Del nervously ran his hands up and down his thighs. 

“I could have saved her. I could have saved her, but I didn’t. And I don’t know if that was the right choice. I mean, of course it wasn’t the right choice because she died, but if she’d live then that may bring back way too many consequences. So I made a decision but- I didn’t want to. I feel bad. Terrible. I just…” Del sighed and leaned forward into Elias’s shoulder. 

“I don’t know if I wanna do this anymore. Live my whole life over again. I didn’t think it was going to be so bad, but now… I’m tired.” 

Elias reached up and wrapped his arms around his brother’s shoulders.

“You know I would take all the burden from you if I could. But I don't understand even half of it. For once, you have to do this on your own, baby brother. I’m just able to help.”

“Then help me,  _ please!”  _

“How?”

“I haven’t been sleeping. Nightmares. That’s why I asked if we could share a room. I think it might… help if we were to sleep next to each other again. Hask and Iden never come in here, so they wouldn’t see us-“

“You think I care? I’d hold you anytime you need it.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” 

With that, Del let his entire torso slump into Elias, and then fall into his lap. Elias just sighed and patted his head fondly. 

“I’m glad you’re my big brother.” Del murmured. 

“Me too.”

* * *

Del didn’t know how or  _ why  _ he did it, but Hask was drunk.  _ Very _ drunk. 

He remembered the old Dreamers mission where Hask had drunk a ton with Staven, and always seemed to be able to hold his alcohol. Now, even Hask must have pushed his limits when Del finally found him at the bar. 

“Okay, buddy. I think you’ve had enough fun. It’s time to go.”

“What?” Hask slurred. “ _ Why?” _

“Because we’re on duty tomorrow and you’ll regret it.”

“Duty? What duty?” Hask stumbled off of his stool and Del had to hold him up. 

“I don’t know. Iden has something planned.”

“Iden…?”

“Commander Versio.” Del corrected, wondering when that was gonna get him into trouble. Calling his wife something he hadn’t for about twenty years in the past had become extremely,  _ extremely  _ difficult the more he lived in this life.

“Ohhhhh yeah.” Hask slurred again. “Commander Versio… yeah- I like her. She’s just like my best friend, Iden.”

“Oh? I thought  _ I  _ was your best friend, Hask?”

“Hmm? No.” Hask decided, and laughed a bit. “You’re my best  _ bestest _ friend. And you know I really  _ really  _ like you, Del.” 

“Oh, yeah?” 

“You’re so tall.” A hiccup. “I thought  _ I  _ was tall but wowwwww.” Another drunken laugh. “How tall  _ are  _ you?” 

“Two meters.” Del answered.

“Two whole meters.” Hask slurred, and stumbled even more out of Del’s arms. “How’d you  _ fit  _ into that stormtrooper armor?”

“I was as short as you, once.” They’d finally reached Hask’s room. Del half dropped him onto the bed and started helping his friend take off his boots.

“You must be pretty  _ big  _ too, if you know what I mean.” Another hiccup, and a high, drunken laugh. “Bigger than  _ me.  _ That’s illegal!”

Del smiled politely as he set Hask’s boots up beside his bed. “Sleep well, Hask.”

“Nighty-night.” 

When Del stepped out of Hask’s doorway he was laughing to himself, both out of humor and embarrassment and a few other things.

Iden was staying up in the sitting room, working on something. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so bad off.” Del said. “I may have to send Elias to him in the morning.”

“Today’s a hard day for him.” Iden said, not looking up. “Always has been. She grabbed a data pad, pulled something up and then showed it to Del.

_ Rebel Terrorist Attack on Kuat Leaves Dozens Dead. _

“Oh. It’s  _ that _ day.”

The headline spoke enough. Del didn’t need to scroll down and see the picture of crying, ten year old Hask, covered in dirt and blood.

“He had a younger sister who he cared for a lot. And his parents were great people. Good citizens of the Empire, but also wonderful parents. Getting thrown away by a guardian who didn’t care about him didn’t help at all. It rocked his world.”

Del looked into ten year old Hask’s terrified eyes for a few more moments, then set the data pad back down. “I didn’t know. But I understand. My brother’s birthday is similarly difficult.”

He was telling a white lie of course. In his past life, his brother Elias’s birthday was also Del’s birthday and one of the hardest days to face without him. But now, Elias was alive. 

Del had saved him. 

**“** I’m sorry.” Iden said after a moment. 

And that was all.

Del didn’t mind. Iden was still fairly new to command. She was young, still at that stage where she worked extremely hard, barely sleeping,much less caring about anyone else in her team. 

“Goodnight, Iden.” He said, and didn’t realize how she stared after him, confused as to why he hadn’t called her “Commander.”

* * *

The next morning, Hask came out of his room looking just a few shades better than dead. 

“I am so sorry.” He told Del. “I have no idea what I said last night, but it couldn’t have been good.” 

“No, no. It was actually  _ quite  _ entertaining.” Del grinned, and Hask frowned, knocking shoulders with him a bit. 

“For the record, I am bigger than you.” Del couldn’t resist a subtle jab. 

Elias, who had entered silently into the kitchen, choked on his caf. “Del!”

“He asked!”

“I was  _ drunk.”  _ Hask insisted. “I had no control over what I said, much less any desire to know how big your-“ 

The three men straightened to attention when Iden walked in. She gave them a bemused smile, and then waved her hand. “Carry on.”

They all laughed. 

“But I have to know.” Hask said, in a lowered voice. “Just how identical  _ are  _ you two?”

“I don’t see how that matters.” Elias said, and Del felt his cheeks warm. 

“For  _ science.” _ Hask insisted. “And you’ve gotta know. There’s just no way.”

“Del’s bigger.” Elias finally insisted, if only to shut Hask up. His tone said, “and let that be the end of it.”

Chuckling to himself, Hask carried his caf to the table and sat down with a datapad. Embarrassed, the twins continued talking in their native tongue.

“You just told my crush how big I am.” Elias pretended to complained. 

“So, it doesn’t matter?”

“I have  _ pride,  _ Del!”

“Well then it’s a good thing you were never lacking in self-esteem.” 

But hearing Elias excited about a crush elicited a whole new set of emotions inside Del. 

Knowing that his brother hadn’t lived this long before made Del excited to see what he would do with his “new” life- even if crushing on Hask was something he did with it. Maybe it would help? The blonde man already seemed a bit… softer. He hadn’t gone on a bloodthirsty rebel rampage this time. He was more easy going, even around such a traumatic time. Was it because Del had been a better friend this time? 

Would Del ever tell Elias the truth of Hask and potentially break his heart? If things began going down the same path as his last life, could Del guarantee that Elias would choose him? 

Why did he still have any doubts after nearly 40 years of brotherhood?

  
Why was he still  _ scared? _


End file.
